Who Is The Inhumane In The Call Of The Wild

Soon after his arrival, Buck was able to quickly experience the power of the primitive state while he was with Francois and Perrault in the Yukon. Francois and Perrault worked for the Canadian Government and used Buck as a sled dog. One day while Buck was lying by the fire after a long day out on the trail, he was daydreaming about a man from the past. The man was a very hairy man, crouched down by the fire. “And dreaming there by the Yukon bank, with lazy eyes blinking at the fire, these sounds and sights of another world would make the hair to rise along his back and stand on end across his shoulders and up his neck.”(London 50)

Buck is a type of dog that doesn’t give give up, he was taken through some of the worst conditions and yet survived them. He was stolen, he was beaten, he was forced to run the entire distance of the Yukon mountain range. But yet he pushed through clung to life as if it was the only thing left that he had.

Jack London brings a natural instinct into the spotlight by defining that everyone has that primal call to the wild, and often one feels this when in a difficult situation. Giving into this ‘call of the wild’ leads to a different kind of adaptation, it makes you become primal to survive in a primal situation. Further into the book it states, “The others sat down and howled. And now the call came to Buck in unmistakable accents. He, too, sad down and howled.” (London, 1990, p.62). This is the defining moment of Jack’s book when Buck lets go of all ties to humans and decides to carve his own path, adapting the way he needs to, not the way that humans encouraged him. Soon, Buck changes himself completely to fit snugly into the environment and to prevent further torturous struggles with humans. These quotes combine to paint a picture of total and complete change when it comes to a new and unfavorable environment.

Buck is the main character of this novel. The other animals in the novel are Buck, Curly, Spitz, Dave, Billee, Joe, Sol-leks, Dolly, Pike, Dub, Skeet, and Nig. Buck’s mother was a Scotch Sheppard, and his father was a huge Saint Bernard. Buck was a civilized dog, but answers the call of the wild and becomes one with the wild. Curly was Buck’s companion on the boat trip to the North. Curly is described in the novel as a “good-natured Newfoundland.” Curly does not survive long; however, Buck learns a gruesome lesson when he sees how easily Curly was murdered while trying to be friendly with Spitz. Spitz was the dog that assassinated Curly and becomes Buck’s most bitter enemy. He was terminated later in the novel by Buck in a dog brawl. Buck’s victory entitled him to take over the lead of the dogs that belonged to Spitz. The dog fight illustrated to me Buck’s ability to survive even among the most primitive elements. Dave, Billee, Joe, Sol-leks, Dolly, Pike, and Dub are the other dogs that serve on the dogsled team with Buck. Finally, Skeet and Nig were two of John Thornton’s dogs that he owned before he rescued and adopts

In the beginning of the book, Buck must adapt to the cold and cruelness of his new life in order to survive with very little food and recognition. First, Buck has to adapt to being transported to the North and learn to be a sled dog. For example, when he lived with the judge he slept wherever and whenever he wanted, but now that he is in the North he can only sleep under the snow and for few hours. Since, Buck learns that to live and carry on through his journey he has to make some changes from his old lifestyle. Second, Buck finds food for himself in order to survive and pull the sled longer. For instance, Buck steals food off of the man‘s plate because he is starving. Since, Buck can put his instincts into action, adapt and can be a good sled dog and stay alive. Last, Buck gets little recognition and learns to use his instincts and care for himself. For example, Buck gains confidence in himself to

“This first theft marked Buck as fit to survive in the hostile Northland environment. It marked his adaptability, and his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death. It marked, further, the decay or going to pieces of his moral nature, a vain thing and a handicap in the ruthless struggle for existence. It was all well enough in the Southland, under the law of love and fellowship, to respect private property and personal feelings; but in the Northland, under the law of club and fang, whoso took such things into account was a fool, and in so far he observed them he would fail to prosper” (London 13). The tone transitions from a happy to serious and cruel tone through diction by changing the author's view of the

Manuel kidnaps Buck and sells him to pay off a debt. Buck’s trustworthy nature changes as soon as he is beaten and is not fed or allowed to drink water. When Buck arrives in Seattle he is almost beaten to death by the man in the red sweater. "He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club." (Call of the Wild, page 19). Buck learns from this horrible incident the ‘law of the club.’ The law of the club states that a dog is no match for a man with a weapon. Buck witnesses as his newly-made friend named Curly is torn to pieces by thirty or forty huskies after she falls to the ground from fighting. Buck is taught the ‘law of the fang’ from Curly’s death scene. The law of the fang recognizes the fact that once a dog falls to the ground he is dead. In the north, Buck learns many traits that will help him journey through the north in order to survive. Buck learns that he has to eat his food quickly in order to not have it stolen; he learns to steal food to survive, because the daily ration cannot fill his stomach; he learns to break the ice out from his toes; and finally Buck learns that in order to stay warm during the harsh, freezing nights, he has to make a ‘nest’ to sleep in. Because Buck learns these new secrets of the sled dogs, he is able to survive in the north and to maintain his

In the novel, Buck has to adapt to new environments in order to survive in the wild. Throughout the journey, he learns how to sleep in harsh weather, hunt for food, and live in many different conditions. This wise dog will overcome these struggles by figuring out how to battle through his new adventures.

Both of the dogs in these stories were sled dogs and had two very loving owners. John Thornton took care of Buck while the other man took care of his dog. These dogs were very important to the people in the Yukon because they were able to travel with having the sled dogs. The setting was consumed of cold weather and snow, as Buck saw snow for the first time in his life. According to The Call of The Wild, Buck was a very strong dog who lead the team. But in To Build A Fire, the man had to figure out ways to start a fire to be able to survive through the circumstances. Even though he did not make it, we still saw that he was a very brave man, and he tried as hard as he

His ancestors are calling to him by howling, he debates on leaving his perfect master or answering the call of the wild. The theme of Struggle for mastery shows right away Buck learns that being a trained house dog will not work for being a sled dog in the Yukon. Almost right away when he arrives in the Yukon he learns that he needs to be his own master. Buck always been “king like” or the leader when he was with his first master Judge Miller “He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness.” (London, 77)

Unknown to Buck or Judge Miller, one of the servants who is very well a gambler of sorts, sells Buck to a ring of thieves who buy and sell dogs to the northern traders. Due to Bucks previous lifestyle he does not adapt very well or as east as the other dogs. He is very hostile towards his new master which ties him up and beats him, and although he made

Perhaps the most important aspect of the novel was the progressive shift back to instinctive qualities of Buck. When the story begins, Buck is living as a pampered housedog at a large estate,

He ties him to a sign while Miguel picks up some supplies. Buck is Dognapped and taken on a train to a dog sled camp. He is a pampered dog with little to no skill of survival and is weak from the freezing temperatures. As he grows more accustomed to the location he encounters brutal and violent alpha dogs. Most animals want to be the best

Call of the Wild is a novella written by Jack London that is ironic about life and the way we look at it. We look at life as humans and other things are just living in our world, that nothing else has a say in the world because we do not speak the same languages. Example of this is how we “own” dogs, cats, horses, etc; we do not “own” them, they are their own being with goals of their own. We may not be able to understand what they are saying or what they are thinking, but as London explains throughout his novella, one dog in particular has such high aspirations for himself that he will not quit for anything and his name is Buck. Never giving up on what you want in your life is the real message in this story that is being portrayed through the life of Buck.

The author of The Call of the Wild, Jack London, heavily influenced the literary world with his inspirational works, specifically surrounding the theme of Naturalism. London followed the same theme, among others, in many of his works, focusing on how the environment affects its inhabitants and the details of the environment itself. The descriptions of nature London took the time to include in his books and the way they affect the story is what makes his works truly remarkable. He strongly committed himself to his works and put a great deal of effort into researching them to ensure accuracy. In The Call of the Wild, there are three main themes that are made evident: naturalism, coming of age, and loss of innocence. Naturalism is what London is most known for, and is shown through his attention to the surroundings of his characters. Coming of age was displayed through specific life changing events that altered Buck’s perspective. And finally, loss of innocence can be seen in the gradual, but sure decline of Buck’s morals.